Wholesale field guide
Shopify B2B subscriptions: why they don't work, and how to run standing wholesale orders anyway
A cafe wants the same six bags every Monday. On Shopify, the obvious answer is a subscription, and B2B checkouts do not allow one. Here is what Shopify does offer, the workarounds sellers use, and how Crate adds standing orders on top of your Shopify store.
The short answer
- Shopify B2B does not support subscriptions, and B2B draft orders cannot carry selling plans, so a subscription app cannot fix it.
- Shopify's own tools for repeat B2B orders are reorder from a past order and quick order lists. Both still need someone to place the order every time.
- In Crate, buyers set a standing order every one, two or four weeks, change or skip it themselves, and each one becomes a wholesale order at their prices, invoiced through Shopify, from $80/month.
The short answer: no subscriptions on B2B
Shopify's developer docs are direct: "B2B doesn't support purchase options, such as subscriptions, pre-orders, and try before you buy." The help center lists Subscriptions under features incompatible with Shopify B2B. That applies on every plan with B2B, which Shopify now includes on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus.
Sellers find this the hard way. In the 2026 Shopify Community thread Subscription products for B2B customers not possible?, a B2B-only store wanted customers to manage repeat maintenance orders themselves and found only two routes: draft orders created by hand, or stacking a B2B app with a subscription app. Every reply agreed that selling plans are blocked at the B2B checkout.
What Shopify offers for repeat B2B orders
| Need | On Shopify B2B | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Subscriptions for B2B buyers | Not supported. Subscriptions, pre-orders and try before you buy are off for B2B | Shopify Dev Docs |
| Subscription on a draft order | Not for B2B: B2B draft orders don't support selling plans. Regular customers' draft orders can carry one | Shopify Dev Docs |
| Reorder | B2B customers can duplicate a past order from their customer account. Placed by hand each time | Shopify Help Center |
| Quick order list | Add many variants of a product to the cart in one click. Still a manual order | Shopify Help Center |
| Saved cards and automatic charges | Cards can be saved per company location, and a Flow action can charge a saved card or bank account when a terms payment is due. Needs Shopify Payments; it charges an order, it does not create one | Features, Flow |
The workarounds, and where each breaks
| Workaround | How it works | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Draft orders by hand | Create each account's usual order as a draft order every week and send the invoice | Works for a few accounts. Every order is retyped, and nobody is reminded when an account forgets |
| Scheduled Flow with Admin API calls | A Flow on a timer creates draft orders for each company location, then charges a saved payment when due | Custom work to build and keep running. Shopify documents the payment action, not the scheduled order. Sellers describe this recipe in the Community thread |
| A separate retail checkout | Sell the repeat items as a normal subscription outside B2B | Buyers lose their B2B prices, payment terms and company account on those items |
| B2B app plus subscription app | Stack a wholesale app with a subscription app | If the wholesale app runs on Shopify's B2B checkout, selling plans are still refused there. Apps that price wholesale on the regular checkout need checking with both vendors |
| A wholesale portal next to Shopify | Buyers keep a standing order that becomes an order each cycle | One more tool to set up. This is what Crate does |
Standing orders with Crate on your Shopify store
Crate is a wholesale ordering portal that connects to Shopify. Your products and stock stay in Shopify. Wholesale buyers sign in to Crate, see their own prices, and set their usual order to repeat. Crate does not use Shopify's B2B companies or catalogs, so none of the limits above apply.
- Buyers set it up. From the Crate portal a buyer picks items and quantities, the first order date (never sooner than your delivery lead time) and a rhythm: every week, every two weeks or every four weeks.
- You choose what repeats. Turn standing orders on and offer them on all products or only the ones you choose.
- Changes without an email chain. Buyers change items and quantities, change how often it repeats, skip the next order, pause, resume or cancel from their account. You can skip, change it or place the next one early from the dashboard.
- A heads-up first. Buyers get an email five days before each order, so this week's changes come in before you pack or roast.
- Each cycle is a normal order at today's price. On the day it falls due, Crate creates an ordinary wholesale order at the buyer's current prices. It waits for you to confirm, or confirms itself if you turn on automatic approval.
- Invoiced through Shopify. Once confirmed, Crate sends the buyer a Shopify invoice for the order, and the order lands in Shopify when it is paid. If you use QuickBooks Online or Crate invoicing instead, the invoice goes out from there.
- Your rules still apply. Your order minimum applies, and if the buyer has an overdue invoice the cycle is held and you get an email instead of another unpaid order.
Where it may still fit: If two or three accounts order through Shopify B2B and rarely repeat, Shopify's reorder button and a draft order now and then may be all you need. A standing order pays off when the same accounts order on a rhythm, quantities shift week to week, and you want buyers to make the change themselves.
See the screens on standing orders. For the wider picture of Shopify B2B limits by plan, read Shopify wholesale without Plus. To bill standing orders on terms, see Shopify net terms, and for accounts without a standing order, wholesale reorder reminders. On Square instead? Read standing orders on Square.
Setting it up
- 01Connect Shopify from Integrations in Crate and choose which products are sold wholesale.
- 02Set each buyer's prices and payment terms, then turn on standing orders for the products buyers can repeat and set your delivery lead time.
- 03Decide whether standing orders wait for your confirmation or confirm themselves.
- 04Invite your buyers. They set their usual order once and change it when they need to.
Questions
- Can Shopify B2B customers buy subscriptions?
- No. Shopify's developer docs say B2B doesn't support purchase options such as subscriptions, pre-orders and try before you buy, and the help center lists Subscriptions as incompatible with Shopify B2B. A subscription app cannot get around this, because the block is on the B2B checkout itself.
- Can I put a subscription on a B2B draft order?
- No. Shopify's docs say B2B draft orders don't support selling plans. Draft orders for regular, non-B2B customers can now carry a subscription, but that does not help a buyer who orders as a company.
- How do Shopify B2B customers reorder the same items?
- Shopify lets B2B customers duplicate a past order from their customer account and use quick order lists to add many variants at once. Both are manual: someone still has to place the order each week.
- Can Shopify Flow create recurring wholesale orders?
- Shopify documents a Flow action that charges a B2B customer's saved card or bank account when a payment on terms is due, and it needs Shopify Payments. Shopify does not document creating the order itself on a schedule. Sellers in the Shopify Community describe building that with a scheduled Flow and Admin API calls, which is custom work to build and maintain.
- How do standing orders work in Crate on Shopify?
- Your buyer sets up a standing order in the Crate portal from your Shopify products, every week, every two weeks or every four weeks. Each time it falls due, Crate creates a normal wholesale order at that buyer's current prices. Once you confirm it, or Crate confirms it for you with automatic approval, the buyer gets a Shopify draft order invoice and the order lands in Shopify when it is paid.
- Do I need Shopify Plus or Shopify B2B for Crate?
- No. Crate keeps its own buyer logins and price lists, so it does not use Shopify's B2B companies or catalogs. Your Shopify products, stock and invoices stay in Shopify.
- How much does Crate cost for standing orders?
- Standing orders come with Crate Wholesale Growth, $80/month for up to 50 active buyers. Starter is $50/month without standing orders, and Plus is $150/month for more than 50 buyers.
Sources
- 1. Shopify Dev Docs: B2B (Limitations)
- 2. Shopify Dev Docs: Subscriptions (draft orders)
- 3. Shopify Help Center: Considerations for Shopify B2B
- 4. Shopify Help Center: B2B features by plan
- 5. Shopify Help Center: B2B features
- 6. Shopify Help Center: Flow action, Charge vaulted payment for B2B order
- 7. Shopify Community: Subscription products for B2B customers not possible?
Shopify sources reviewed November 13, 2026. Shopify changes its products, so check its docs for the latest.
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